Tag Archives: biography

Tag Archives: biography

Gumby, the unforgettable stop motion character, has entertained generations of fans since his introduction in the early 1950s. Now, Dynamite will release the essential compendium to his 60-year history in 2017, featuring an incredible retrospective on not only the characters themselves, but a look into the life of their creator: Art Clokey.

New Deluxe Collection to Pay Tribute to The Art and History of the Creations of Art Clokey

“The most fascinating life story I’ve ever known just happens to be about my dad, mom and the world famous characters they created. Art Clokey’s journey intersects and influences major touchstones of our American life. The sixty-year, behind-the-scenes story of Gumby and Davey & Goliath, interwoven with a rich tapestry of photos and rare anecdotes, weds perfectly with Art Clokey and his amazing life,” says Joe Clokey, son of Gumby creator, Art Clokey.

“This book will be a fascinating ‘page-turner’ with never-before-told stories about this clay animation pioneer. You’ll see Art’s friendship with East-West philosopher Alan Watts. His love and partnership with his wife Ruth Clokey and later with Gloria Clokey. Explore Art’s fascination with the counter-cultural creative winds of the late 60s and 70s, infused with his spiritual learning from Christianity, Zen Buddhism and Eastern Avatars,” states Joe Clokey.

Joe continues, “Discover Art’s groundbreaking stop-motion TV commercials in the early 50s (including his work with fellow stop-motion legend Ray Harryhausen), along with over 40 hours of Gumby and Davey adventures, and art films, which opened up new avenues for all of us, the texture of which will inspire. See how stop motion superstars got their start with Clokey Productions, and then went on to work on iconic films from Star Wars, Terminator and Beetlejuice to Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story and Kubo. It’s truly an honor to work with Dynamite Entertainment on this very special book.”

“Art Clokey and Gumby are as important to the history of American animation as the creations of Walt Disney,” says Dynamite CEO and Publisher, Nick Barrucci, “To be able to tell the story of this man and his incredible cast of characters is a high watermark, both as a publisher, and for me as a fan. Looking through these incredible photos and reading such rich history is guaranteed to make each and every one of us feel like a kid again.”

Dynamite Entertainment’s beautiful Gumby retrospective will be released in 2017. Look for details on pricing, format, and release in the coming weeks, along with news of other future Dynamite Gumby products!

Dynamite was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Red Sonja, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more. Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt. In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Kevin Smith, Alex Ross, Neil Gaiman, Andy Diggle, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Jae Lee, Marc Guggenheim, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner, Gail Simone, Steve Niles, James Robinson, and a host of up-and-coming new talent. Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles – including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger’s Project Superpowers – have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011. The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards.

Founded by Art and Ruth Clokey, Premavision/Clokey Productions stop motion animation studio is best known for creating the iconic character Gumby—the world’s original clayboy. The studio has produced over 200 Gumby TV episodes and TheGumby Movie, as well as the popular Davey and Goliath show. The company’s productions have aired worldwide for 60 years, and the legacy continues under the direction of Joe and Joan Clokey.

Biography of Art Clokey, Gumby Creator

In honor Art Clokey’s many creative accomplishments and impact on the film industry, we are proud to introduce Gumby Dharma. This Emmy Award winning documentary captures the fascinating life of Art Clokey and his famous creations Gumby and Pokey and Davey and Goliath. From the mud (called gumbo) on his grandparents’ farm in the Midwest to his many adventures with his adopted father out west, you’ll see the myriad of influences on Art’s life and how they translated into iconic characters, which the world has embraced.